Multi-purpose carousel

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a multi-purpose carousel which can be used as a swing set, seesaw and merry-go-round. The carousel includes a center post having an upper portion which is selectively rotatable. Orthogonal cross members are attached to the top of the post. One of the cross members is rigidly attached to the post and has a pair of swings depending from its opposite ends. The other cross member is pivotably attached to the post and has a pair of depending seats which form a seesaw. Locking apparatus are provided which lock the latter cross member in place if desired and simultaneously allow rotation of the upper portion of the post so that the carousel can be used as a merrygo-round.

United States Patent [1 1 Bourne 1 Jan.7, 1975 I MULTI-PURPOSE CAROUSEL [22] Filed: May 28, 1974 [21] App]. No.: 474,111

[52] US. Cl 272/30, 272/41, 272/54, 272/85 [51] Int. Cl A63g 1/32 [58] Field of Search 272/30, 7, 3 3 R, 54, 55, 272/56, 36, 41, 39, 40, 28 R, 28 S, 37, 31 R, 1 A, 60 R, 85, 87

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 510,747 12/1893 Weston 272/33 R 1,392,147 9/1921 Grove 272/30 1,396,247 11/1921 Bowman 272/30 1,426,624 8/1922 Williams 272/30 1,672,754 6/1928 De Lisle 272/30 1,878,758 9/1932 Clayton 272/33 R 1,903,116 3/1933 Koschka l 272/30 2,544,589 3/1951 Cummings... 272/30 2,809,036 10/1957 Meixsell 272/30 2,831,686 4/1958 Ivor 272/33 R 3,117,779 l/l964 Savegnago et a1. 272/30 FOREIGN PATENTSOR APPLICATIONS 589,076 2/1959 ltaly 272/41 Primary Examiner-Anton O. O'echsle Assistant Examiner-Arnold W. Kramer Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Townlsend and Townsend [57] ABSTRACT The present invention provides a multi-purpose carousel which can be used as a swing set, seesaw and merry-go-round. The carousel includes a center post having an upper portion which is selectively rotatable. Orthogonal cross members are attached to the top of the post. One of the cross members is rigidly attached to the post and has a pair of swings depending from its opposite ends. The other cross member is pivotably attached to the post and has a pair of depending seats which form a seesaw. Locking apparatus are provided which lock the latter cross member in place if desired and simultaneously allow rotation of the upper portion of the post so that the carousel can be used as a merry-go-round.

7 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 1 MULTI-PURPOSE CAROUSEL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a multi-purpose car ousel which can be used as a swing set, seesaw or merry-go-round.

A wide variety of amusement apparatus have been designed for the entertainment of children. Many of these devices, such as that illustrated in the patent to Norris, U.S. Pat. No. 1,640,848 and the patent to Morris, U.S. Pat. No. 1,069,705, illustrate multi-purpose amusement apparatus. Such multi-purpose devices are advantageous since they provide a variety of entertainment mechanisms in a single unit, and children do not become rapidly bored by the repetition of playing with a single type of device. However, the difficulty with such apparatus found in the art is that they are generally complex, making them relatively expensive, fail prone, and possibly dangerous. Another problem with such multi-purpose apparatus is that they are difficult to operate, especially by young children.

The present invention provides a multi-purpose carousel which functions as a swing set, seesaw and merrygo-round. The carousel includes a center post having an upper portion which is selectively rotatable. Orthogonal cross members are attached to the top of the post. One of the cross members is rigidly attached to the post and has a pair of swings depending from its opposite ends. The other cross member is pivotably attached to the post and has a pair of depending seats which provide a seesaw. Locking apparatus are provided which lock the latter cross member in place if desired and simultaneously allow the rotation of the upper portion of the post so that the carousel can be used as a merry-goround.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the latter cross member forming the seesaw includes a bracket which staddles the center post and beams which extend outwardly from the bracket. The free ends of the beams project partially downwardly so that the chain holding the seat is relatively short and a child on the seats of the seesaw will not accidentally swing inwardly to contact the center post and become injured. In this preferred embodiment, the locking apparatus includes a vertically translatable bar mounted on the exterior of the upper portion of the post. To provide the first position of the locking apparatus, the bar is moved downwardly to engage an aperture on the exterior of the lower portion of the post to prevent rotation of the upper portion in order that the swings and seats can be used as a swing set and seesaw respectively. The locking apparatus also includes a pair of prongs attached to the upper end of the bar and which are inserted upwardly between the respective beams and the center post at the second position of the locking apparatus to prevent pivoting of the seesaw. At the second postion of the locking apparatus, the bar is moved out of engagement with the aperture in the lower portion of the post so that the swings and seats can be used as a merry-go-round. Hence, a single bar having upwardly directed prongs at the upper end thereof controls the operation of the carousel, and can easily be moved from one position to another to exercise the different functions of the multi-purpose carousel. Due to the simplicity of the apparatus, it can be constructed relatively inexpensively and reliably, and

does not impose undue hazards when it is used by children.

The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention, both as to organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way ofexample. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the multi-purpose car ousel of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary view illustrating the action of the lever of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view illustrating the locking prongs of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The overall configuration of multi-purpose carousel 10 of the present invention is illustrated by way of reference to FIG. 1. Carousel 10 includes a center post 12 having a lower portion 14 mounted to the ground and an upper portion 16 rotatably mounted to the lower portion at 18. Ball bearings or other types of bearings or bushings can be provided at 18 so that upper portion 16 of center post 12 is normally freely rotatable with respect to lower portion 14. Orthogonal cross members 20, 22 are attached to the top of upper portion 16 of center post 12. Cross member 20' is rigidly attached to center post 12 and has swings 24 depending from each of its ends. Swings 24 are tangentially aligned with respect to center post 12 as illustrated so that a child using the swings will not accidentally contact center post 12. Cross member 22 has a central bracket 26 which staddles center post 12. A pair of inwardly directed studs 28 are rotatably attached to center post 12 so that cross member 22 is normally pivotable with respect to center post 12 about a horizontal axis. A pair of radially aligned seats 30 are disposed at the opposite ends of cross member 22 and which can be used as a seesaw. The outer ends 32 of cross member 22 project partially downwardly as illustrated so that chains 31 holding seats 30 are relatively short and a child on one of the seats will not accidentally swing inwardly to come into contact with center post 12 and be injured.

Locking apparatus are provided in carousel 10 to make the apparatus operable either as a combined swing set and seesaw or as a merry-go-round. The locking apparatus includes a vertical bar 34 preferably mounted along the exterior of upper portion 16 of center post 12. Bar 34 is secured to upper portion 16 of center post 12 by means of brackets 36, 38 which allow it to translate vertically as illustrated by arrow 40. A lever 42 is connected to bar 34 by means of arm 44. Movement of lever 42 upwardly as illustrated by arrow 46 to its raised position at 42' will raise bar 34 from its lower first position to a raised second position. In the first position, the lower end of bar 34 projects through an aperture 48 in lower portion 14 of central post 12. This prevents rotation of upper portion 16 with respect to lower portion 14 and thus prevents cross members 20 and 22 from rotating. In this configuration, carousel operates as a combined swing set and merry-goround.

In the second or raised position of the locking apparatus of carousel 10, lever 42 is moved upwardly as illustrated in FIG. 2. Arm 44 attached to lever 42 thus draws bar 34 upwardly so that the lower end thereof disengages aperture 48 in lower portion 14 of center post 12. This allows upper portion 16 to rotate with respect to lower portion 14 at interface 18 therebetween so that .cross members 20, 22 of carousel 10 can also rotate.

Movement of bar 34 upwardly to the second position of the lock means will also raise the ring 50 disposed at the upper end thereof as illustrated in FIG. 3. A pair of upwardly projecting prongs 52 are located in the interior of ring 50, and in the raised position of ring 50 will fit between bracket 26 and upper portion 16 of center post 12. The presence of upwardly projecting prongs 52 will lock cross member 22 in position as illustrated, preventing pivoting of that cross member as illustrated in phantom 22. When bar 34 is moved downwardly, ring 50 will also move downwardly as illustrated by arrows 54 to position 50 so that prongs 52 will be disengaged from bracket 26 and cross member 22 will be free to pivot as aforesaid.

In operation, multi-purpose carousel 10 can be used by children as a swing set and seesaw by having lever 42 placed in the lower position. In this configuration, the lower end of bar 34 will engage aperture 48 in lower portion 14 of center post 12, and cross members 20 and 22 will thus not rotate. Children can thus sit on seats 24 and 30 providing swings and a seesaw respectively. When the children tire of this type of activity, lever 42 can be raised to its upper position, disengaging bar 34 from aperture 48 and allowing upper portion 16 of the center post to rotate. Raising lever 42 will also lock cross member 42 in position so that it will not pivot and no longer functions as a seesaw. Center post 16 can be manually rotated by children grapsing hoop 56 so that acrousel 10 operates as a merry-go-round for children sitting on seats 24, 30.

while a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated in detail, it is apparent that modifications and adaptations of that embodiment will occur to those skilled in the art. In particular, it is apparent that the locking apparatus described herein could be modified in various particulars. However, it is to be expressly understood that such modifications and adaptations of the preferred embodiment are within the spirit and scope of the present invention, as set forth in the following claims.

What I claim as new is:

l. A multi-purpose carousel comprising:

a center post having a lower non-rotatable portion mountable to the ground and an upper portion selectively axially rotatable with respect to the lower portion;

a first cross member rigidly attached at its center to the upper portion of the post adjacent the top end of said post;

a pair of swings depending from the opposite ends of the first cross member;

a second cross member pivotably attached at its cen- 6 a pair of seats depending from the opposite ends of the second cross member; and

lock means in the form of a vertically translatable bar mounted on the upper portion of said post and having a first position adapted to prevent rotation of the upper portion of the post with respect to the lower portion so that the swings can be used as a swing set and the seats depending from the second cross member can be used as a seesaw, said lock means having a second postion adapted to prevent pivoting of the second cross member and to allow rotation of the upper portion of the post with respect to the lower portion so that the pair of swings and the seats depending from the second cross member can be used as a merry-go-round.

2. A multi-purpose carousel as recited in claim 1 wherein the outer ends of the second cross member project at least partially downwardly so that a child sitting on either of the seats depending from the opposite ends of said second cross member on short chains will not accidentally come into contact with the center post.

3. A multi-purpose carousel as recited in claim I wherein the second cross member comprises a bracket staddling the center post and pivotably attached thereto, and a pair of beams extending outwardly from the said bracket, and wherein the lock means includes a pair of prongs forming the upper end of said bar adapted to be inserted upwardly between the respective beams and the center post at the second position of said lock means to prevent pivoting of the second cross member.

4. A multi-purpose carousel as recited in claim 3 wherein said lock means includes said bar mounted external to the upper portion of the post, the lower end of said bar adapted to engage an aperture on the exterior of the lower portion of the post at the first position of said lock means to prevent rotation of the upper portion of the post with respect to the lower portion when the prongs are lowered to allow pivoting of the second cross member.

5. a multi-purpose carousel as recited in claim 1 and additionally comprising a hoop circumscribing the upper portion of the post and attached thereto for manual rotation of said upper portion when used as a merry-go-round.

6. A multi-purpose carousel as recited in claim 1 wherein the swings depending from the first cross member are tangentially aligned with respect to the center post, and wherein the pair of seats depending from the second cross member are inwardly radially aligned with respect to the center post.

7. A multi-purpose carousel comprising:

a center post having a lower non-rotatable portion mountable to the ground and an upper portion selectively axially rotatable with respect to the lower portion;

a first cross member rigidly attached at its center to the upper portion of the post adjacent the top end of said post;

a pair of tangentially aligned swings depending from the opposite ends of the first cross member;

a second cross member pivotably attached at its center to the upper portion of the post adjacent the top end of said post, said second cross member including a bracket straddling the center post and pivotably attached thereto, and a pair of beams extending outwardly from said bracket, the free ends of said beams projecting at least partially downwardly;

a pair of radially aligned seats depending from the opposite ends of said second cross member, the downwardly projecting ends of said second cross member preventing a child on said seat from accidentally coming into contact with the center post; and

lock means having a first and a second postion, said lock means including a bar external to the upper portion of the post and vertically translatable with respect thereto, said bar adapted to be moved downwardly from said second position of the lock means to said first position to engage the lower portion of the post at the first position of said lock means to prevent rotation of the upper portion of the post with respect to the lower portion so that the swings and the seats can be used a swing set and seesaw respectively, said lock means further including a pair of prongs fixedly attached to the upper end of the bar and adapted to be inserted up wardly between the respective beams and the center post at the second position of said lock means to prevent pivoting of the second cross member and allow rotation of the upper portion of the post with respect to the lower portion so that the swings and seats can be used as a merry-go-round. 

1. A multi-purpose carousel comprising: a center post having a lower non-rotatable portion mountable to the ground and an upper portion selectively axially rotatable with respect to the lower portion; a first cross member rigidly attached at its center to the upper portion of the post adjacent the top end of said post; a pair of swings depending from the opposite ends of the first cross member; a second cross member pivotably attached at its center to the upper portion of the post adjacent the top end of said post so that said second cross member is pivotable about a horizontal aixs; a pair of seats depending from the opposite ends of the second cross member; and lock means in the form of a vertically translatable bar mounted on the upper portion of said post and having a first position adapted to prevent rotation of the upper portion of the post with respect to the lower portion so that the swings can be used as a swing set and the seats depending from the second cross member can be used as a seesaw, said lock means having a second postion adapteD to prevent pivoting of the second cross member and to allow rotation of the upper portion of the post with respect to the lower portion so that the pair of swings and the seats depending from the second cross member can be used as a merry-go-round.
 2. A multi-purpose carousel as recited in claim 1 wherein the outer ends of the second cross member project at least partially downwardly so that a child sitting on either of the seats depending from the opposite ends of said second cross member on short chains will not accidentally come into contact with the center post.
 3. A multi-purpose carousel as recited in claim 1 wherein the second cross member comprises a bracket staddling the center post and pivotably attached thereto, and a pair of beams extending outwardly from the said bracket, and wherein the lock means includes a pair of prongs forming the upper end of said bar adapted to be inserted upwardly between the respective beams and the center post at the second position of said lock means to prevent pivoting of the second cross member.
 4. A multi-purpose carousel as recited in claim 3 wherein said lock means includes said bar mounted external to the upper portion of the post, the lower end of said bar adapted to engage an aperture on the exterior of the lower portion of the post at the first position of said lock means to prevent rotation of the upper portion of the post with respect to the lower portion when the prongs are lowered to allow pivoting of the second cross member.
 5. a multi-purpose carousel as recited in claim 1 and additionally comprising a hoop circumscribing the upper portion of the post and attached thereto for manual rotation of said upper portion when used as a merry-go-round.
 6. A multi-purpose carousel as recited in claim 1 wherein the swings depending from the first cross member are tangentially aligned with respect to the center post, and wherein the pair of seats depending from the second cross member are inwardly radially aligned with respect to the center post.
 7. A multi-purpose carousel comprising: a center post having a lower non-rotatable portion mountable to the ground and an upper portion selectively axially rotatable with respect to the lower portion; a first cross member rigidly attached at its center to the upper portion of the post adjacent the top end of said post; a pair of tangentially aligned swings depending from the opposite ends of the first cross member; a second cross member pivotably attached at its center to the upper portion of the post adjacent the top end of said post, said second cross member including a bracket straddling the center post and pivotably attached thereto, and a pair of beams extending outwardly from said bracket, the free ends of said beams projecting at least partially downwardly; a pair of radially aligned seats depending from the opposite ends of said second cross member, the downwardly projecting ends of said second cross member preventing a child on said seat from accidentally coming into contact with the center post; and lock means having a first and a second postion, said lock means including a bar external to the upper portion of the post and vertically translatable with respect thereto, said bar adapted to be moved downwardly from said second position of the lock means to said first position to engage the lower portion of the post at the first position of said lock means to prevent rotation of the upper portion of the post with respect to the lower portion so that the swings and the seats can be used as a swing set and seesaw respectively, said lock means further including a pair of prongs fixedly attached to the upper end of the bar and adapted to be inserted upwardly between the respective beams and the center post at the second position of said lock means to prevent pivoting of the second cross member and allow rotation of the upper portion of the post with respect to the lower portion so that the swings and seats can be used as a merry-go-roUnd. 